INDONESIA has chosen SABCA of Belgium as a systems integrator to upgrade 12 Northrop F-5E/F fighters. A contract is to be finalised shortly.
SABCA, together with Smiths Industries, was shortlisted in December after a year-long evaluation (Flight International, 21 December, 1994 - 3 January, 1995, P16). Other companies tendering for the work included Singapore Aerospace and Alenia.
The deal, worth around $40 million, covers the upgrade of eight F-5Es and four two-seat F-5Fs. Work is expected to take three years to complete and will include 20 months of integration engineering and flight testing in Belgium of one prototype F-5E and one F-5F.
Indonesia's air force will upgrade the remaining ten aircraft at the Iswahyudi air base, near Mediun. SABCA will provide upgrade kits and technical assistance.
SABCA will be responsible for the integration and installation of new avionics pre-selected by the air force to offer commonality with its Lockheed F-16A/B fighters and British Aerospace Hawk 100/200 advanced-trainer and light-strike aircraft.
The aircraft will be equipped with a GEC-Marconi head-up display/weapons-aiming computer and Litton LN-93 inertial-navigation system, both of which are fitted to Indonesia's 11 F-16A/Bs.
GEC-Marconi will also supply its Sky Guardian radar-warning receiver (RWR), which has already been ordered for the air force's 24 Hawk 100/200s. It is understood that Indonesia will be given the capability of building a RWR threat library.
Other systems to be fitted to the F-5 include a new air-data computer, stores-management system, mission camera and a reconfigured cockpit for hands-on-throttle-and-stick control. The new avionics suite will be integrated with a 1553B digital databus.
The upgrade contract will also include structural repair work to at least one aircraft and an F-5 spares package to support the Indonesian aircraft over four years.
Indonesia has been forced to drop plans to re-equip its F-5s with a new pulse-Doppler radar because of the limited amount of funding available. A programme to upgrade the fighter's ESCO APG-59(V)3 radar to the (V)5 standard is instead near to completion, with three aircraft still to be finished.
Source: Flight International
